


A Goldfish Named Bin (#1)

by yuegangaiqing



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pet Store
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 21:24:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11540706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuegangaiqing/pseuds/yuegangaiqing
Summary: Minhyuk rested his chin on his hand and mindlessly watched the fish swim around one another, giving up on his quest for cat food. Great. Now these hundreds of small fish were subject to watching Minhyuk throw his own pity party.“Were you interested in purchasing a fish today?’” And now there was one human as well. Minhyuk stood up quickly, spinning around to look in the direction of the person who just spoke.It was then that Minhyuk realized that love at first sight was real and that there were true gods walking among us, simply posing as polite pet store employees. Minhyuk could’ve sworn his heart stopped, because standing in front of him, with a beautiful, glowing smile, was the most beautiful boy he had ever seen.





	A Goldfish Named Bin (#1)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!! This is my first work on here and I'm pumped. Hope you enjoy xx

  Minhyuk was on a mission, and that mission was to buy cat food and go home as soon as possible. Bin would owe him for this—it was Bin’s stupid cat he forgot to buy food for anyways. But because Bin had woken up with the flu, it was suddenly Minhyuk’s responsibility as a good friend and, of course, a good roommate, to go out and buy food before the demented cat starved to death.  
  The only problem with buying cat food was that Minhyuk had never been to a pet store before, and on top of that he had no idea where cat food would even be. But as far as stores went, this store seemed small. Minhyuk sighed in relief knowing it wouldn’t take him long to find what he needed. Minhyuk was wrong. He walked quickly, glancing down each aisle to see if he could find cat food, without luck. He then went backwards throughout the store again, slower this time, only to end up back where he had originally been. Minhyuk fell to the ground dramatically, ignoring the worried look the lady a few aisles down gave him and pulled his hood up over his head.  
  Minhyuk looked up and realized where he was. The wall in front of him was made up of fish tank displays, a soft blue light emitting from them that illuminated the dimly lit store. Minhyuk rested his chin on his hand and mindlessly watched the fish swim around one another, giving up on his quest for cat food. Great. Now these hundreds of small fish were subject to watching Minhyuk throw his own pity party.  
  “Were you interested in purchasing a fish today?’” And now there was one human as well. Minhyuk stood up quickly, spinning around to look in the direction of the person who just spoke.  
  It was then that Minhyuk realized that love at first sight was real and that there were true gods walking among us, simply posing as polite pet store employees. Minhyuk could’ve sworn his heart stopped, because standing in front of him, with a beautiful, glowing smile, was the most beautiful boy he had ever seen.  
  “I-Uh-“ Minhyuk pulled his hood down, quickly running his fingers through his hair, wishing he had chosen to wear any outfit but the old sweatshirt and jeans he had angrily thrown on this morning. There was no way he would compare to this boy anyways, but this outfit didn’t help his chances.  
The boy looked at him expectantly and that’s when Minhyuk started panicking. He wanted to keep talking to this boy--he wanted to keep talking to him forever. Minhyuk was truly ready to do or say anything that would make this person fall in love with him.  
  “Yes. I was.” He wasn’t. Minhyuk was not interested in buying a fish. In fact, he had a slight distaste for them—the fact that they did nothing but swim around bored him, and the dirty fish tanks grossed him out. But it was all worth it once Minhyuk saw the cheesy grin that lit up the boy’s face as the boy let out a gleeful squeal, clapping his hands together. Besides, at least it was better than the demonic fur ball Bin called a cat that was waiting back at his apartment.  
  “Perfect! What kind of fish were you interested in?” Minhyuk looked around at all the fishes, and spotted a tank full of your average goldfish. Minhyuk went to stand beside it, the boy following him.  
  “Um. I’m thinking this one.” Minhyuk gestured towards the bright orange fish and looked at the boy for his approval.  
  “Classic goldfish, that’s cute. Is this the first fish you’ve owned?”  
  “Yes.” Minhyuk felt his entire face heat up. The boy had called him cute. Okay, maybe not directly, but it definitely counted in Minhyuk’s book.  
  “Well then you’ll need a fish tank, right? If you want I can recommend some supplies to purchase-“  
  “That would be great, yes, please do.” Minhyuk spoke fast and flashed the boy a nervous smile in hopes of masking his anxiety. The boy gave a gentle smile and a nod in return before Minhyuk followed him to a nearby aisle where the fish supplies supposedly were.  
  Minhyuk was barely listening to anything the boy was saying. He nodded his head and murmured an _mhm_ every once in a while but for the most part he was studying him. The pet store boy was taller than him with eyes that sparkled even in the horrid lighting of the store and his hair was a light blonde color that looked softer and fluffier than the clouds in the sky. Minhyuk wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through the boy’s hair and find out if it really was. Minhyuk’s eyes scanned over the pet store boy until landing on the nametag pinned to his bright yellow t-shirt.  
_Sanha._ Minhyuk read. _His name is Sanha._ Minhyuk repeated the name in his head over and over, making sure he would remember the name of the person whom in his head he was already married to and had 5 kids with. It was a name that Minhyuk liked a lot, he thought. Definitely a name he would love for his soul mate to have.  
  Minhyuk had spent too much money on the goldfish but he didn’t really care. He walked to the register with his arms full of accessories and supplies while Sanha carried the goldfish. Minhyuk nervously tapped his foot once he got to the register, waiting for Sanha to ring him up.  
Minhyuk was finally handed the receipt, and that was when he realized his time with Sanha was about to be over. Minhyuk frowned and gathered the shopping bags in his arms, only going to smile when he thanked Sanha for all of his help before finally exiting the pet store. Minhyuk buckled the goldfish into the passenger seat and drove off.  
It wasn’t until Minhyuk was halfway home that he realized he forgot cat food, and to avoid embarrassing himself in front of Sanha, drove another 10 miles to the next closest pet store.

••••  
  When Minhyuk let himself into the apartment, Bin was waiting for him on the couch, arms crossed. The cat was lying in Bin’s lap, purring softly.  
  “Where have you been? You were gone for almost two hours. And—is that a goldfish?” Bin had walked over to where Minhyuk stood and reached out to grab the fish tied up in a bag. Minhyuk pulled the fish out of Bin’s reach defensively.  
  “Yes. It is. Is there a _problem_ with my fish?” Minhyuk dared Bin to say something rude about the fish that his soon-to-be husband had given him. Bin looked between Minhyuk and the fish with a confused look.  
  “I just—I thought you hated fish—and now you’ve come home with one when you went out for _cat food?_ ” Bin waited for Minhyuk to drop the act, but it didn’t happen.  
  “Yes. I did. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go set up my new best friend’s home.” Minhyuk shoved the bag of cat food into Bin’s arms and walked into his own room. Bin watched him walk away, offended by the fact that this goldfish had just taken his spot as Minhyuk’s best friend.  
  “Did you just replace me with a fish that doesn’t even have a name?” Bin asked incredulously. Minhyuk shook his head.  
  “No. He has a name.”  
“Oh yeah? And what would that be?”  
“…Bin #1.”  
“Did you really just name that fish after me? Why is he #1?”  
“Because you were demoted to Bin #2.” Bin gasped, clutching the cat food closer to his chest.  
“How dare you! You can’t replace me with a goldfish.”  
“I just did.” Minhyuk looked over his shoulder at Bin, giving him a dead serious look. Bin glared over at the goldfish sitting in the plastic bag before walking into his room and slamming the door.  
Minhyuk continued to assemble the new parts of his goldfish’s home, unbothered by Bin #2’s pouting.  
  Soon enough, Bin #1 was swimming around in happy circles in the fish bowl that now sat on Minhyuk’s desk. Minhyuk sat at the desk and watched, a goofy smile on his face. He could remember Sanha so clearly in his mind, and just thinking about him made Minhyuk’s heart race and his face turn red. Minhyuk was going to see him again.

••••  
  Minhyuk was back at the pet store for the eighth time in the past two weeks. Having already done this a million times, Minhyuk walked to the fish supply aisle and tried to find anything he _hadn’t_ bought for his fish already.  
Minhyuk peeked his head out of the aisle, spotting Sanha at the register. He looked as beautiful as ever, smiling at every customer. It was then that Sanha looked over and made direct eye contact with Minhyuk. Minhyuk immediately dropped to the floor. He could feel his heart about to beat out of his chest. Sanha had caught him staring, and now Sanha was never going talk to him again. Sanha was going to find out Minhyuk has only been coming to this store every other day to buy another stupid random goldfish-related item just to have the chance to talk to him at the register. What Minhyuk was doing was not what he considered severe enough to be called stalking, but normal people like Sanha might have disagreed.  
  Minhyuk took a deep breath and crawled towards the main aisle, slowly peeking his head out to see Sanha again. The register was empty, not a customer or a Sanha in sight.  
_Where the hell did he go?_ Minhyuk thought to himself as he crawled backwards into the fish supplies aisle. Minhyuk stopped when his foot hit what he assumed was another person.  
  “Oh, excuse me-- _ohmygod._ ” Minhyuk’s words got caught in his throat and he fell back on his elbows, looking up at none other than Sanha. Sanha was smirking down at him with a knowing look. Minhyuk was mortified.  
  “Hey.” Sanha said, sticking his hand out to Minhyuk. Minhyuk hesitated before grabbing the boy’s hand, letting Sanha pull him up off the ground. Minhyuk drew his hand away quickly once he stood and wiped his now sweaty hands off on his jeans.  
  “So. Did you need help finding something?” Sanha asked with his typical customer service voice. Minhyuk was so embarrassed now he wasn’t sure if he could look Sanha in the eyes.  
  “No, I’ll be fine. Thanks for helping me up.” Minhyuk stared at the ground until the sound of Sanha’s footsteps faded. Minhyuk grabbed the first thing he saw and walked towards the counter, hoping to leave as soon as possible. Minhyuk looked anywhere but Sanha’s direction as the boy rang up the item. Minhyuk was even more nervous now that Sanha had not even said the typical “Did you find everything alright?” confirming his suspicions Minhyuk slid cash over the counter and Sanha took it without a word.  
Minhyuk grabbed the change and the plastic shopping bag and began walking swiftly out of the store. The sooner he got out of that stupid pet store the faster he could go home and wonder why the universe hated him so much and sulk until Bin #2 yelled at him for not eating. Sanha must’ve thought he was pathetic now. He could never walk into this pet store again. Minhyuk threw the bag on top of the car as he fumbled with his car keys.  
  “Wait!” Minhyuk froze. He recognized that voice well. Minhyuk turned to see Sanha running towards him. Sanha leaned against the car as he caught his breath and Minhyuk couldn’t find the ability to do anything but star at him in disbelief.  
  “You forgot your receipt.” Sanha managed between breaths. Minhyuk took the receipt Sanha was holding out to him.  
“Oh. Well, thanks.”  
“No problem. See ya.” Sanha said, nodding at him. Minhyuk gave a weak smile back and got into his car as Sanha walked back towards the store.  
  Minhyuk wanted to smash his head into the steering wheel. He had thought for sure that Sanha had run out of that store to confess his undying love for him, but no. Minhyuk slumped back in his seat, letting out a loud groan. He mindlessly opened the receipt, which had been neatly folded in half to find a message had been sloppily written in blue ink at the bottom:

 _Text me._  
(xxx) xxx-xxxx  
-Sanha  
  Minhyuk read the message over four times to make sure he had read it right. Sanha had left him his phone number. Sanha told him to text him. Sanha wanted to talk to him.  
  Minhyuk couldn’t help but smile as he drove home, imagining the conversation he would have with Sanha that night.

••••  
  It was after dinner when Minhyuk had finally decided to text Sanha. With shaky fingers, he opened the messenger app.  
_Hey, it’s the guy from the pet store with the goldfish, Minhyuk. This is Sanha, right?_

  Minhyuk didn’t have to wait long for a reply, Sanha replying almost instantly.

_**Hi Minhyuk!! Yah it’s me, lol xD** _

  Minhyuk stared at the message. He couldn’t believe that someone as perfect as Sanha still used emoticons like “xD” in text messages, but he supposed that made sense—everyone had to have some sort of flaw, and this must’ve been Sanha’s. Minhyuk and Sanha texted back and forth almost non-stop over the next week. When Minhyuk woke up, he texted Sanha to have a good morning. When he went to bed, he was typing back replies with half closed lids before he eventually fell asleep with his phone in his hands. It was a bright and sunny Tuesday morning when Minhyuk decided to pop the question to Sanha. He started up their usual morning conversation and tried to ask in the most casual way possible.

  
_Hey. Are you free tonight?_

  
**_Yah. Why whats up?_**

  
_Did you maybe wanna grab a coffee with me?_

  Sanha didn’t reply immediately. Minhyuk’s heart was beating out of his chest. Had he been reading all the signals wrong? Was Sanha going to actually not talk to him again now? Was going for coffee at night even socially acceptable?

  
**_Sure, sounds fun. Where and what time? :-)_**

 **  
** _5\. At the coffee shop two blocks down from the pet store. See you then._

**_See ya !!!! :D_ **

  
  All of the exclamation points were a good sign, Minhyuk thought. Now Minhyuk had exactly seven hours to mentally and physically prepare himself for his afternoon with Sanha. Just the fact that Minhyuk could say he was spending the afternoon with Sanha made him want to squeal like a little girl.  
  When the seven hours had passed, Minhyuk looked himself over in the mirror almost six times before grabbing his house key and walking out.  
  The coffee shop was a short walk away for Minhyuk—only a few blocks—and he figured he would be fashionably late anyways so Sanha wouldn’t think he was too desperate (even though he sort of was.) When Minhyuk entered the coffee shop, Sanha was already sitting at a table near the window. Minhyuk walked to the counter and gave his order before slowly making his way over to Sanha’s table. Sanha was wearing a dark blue sweater, which Minhyuk thought looked nice on him even thought it was much different from the bright yellow t-shirt he usually saw him in.  
  “Hey.” Minhyuk said, grabbing Sanha’s attention. Sanha looked up from his phone at him, giving him a small smile.  
  “Go ahead, sit down.” Sanha gestured to the seat in front of him. Minhyuk nodded and sat down, nervously wiping his hands on his jeans.  
  Minhyuk was the first to initiate conversation. Minhyuk asked Sanha about work, what kind of music he listened to, did he like scary movies. Sanha answered with long drawn out stories that Minhyuk listened to intently, paying attention to every last detail. They talked for what seemed like hours before Sanha downed the last sips of his drink and moved the conversation to a new topic—one related to Minhyuk, finally.  
  “So. How’s the goldfish doing?” Sanha asked.  
  “Oh, he’s great. Really.” Minhyuk answered. It was then in that glorious moment that Minhyuk realized that he could make one of the best moves ever made in the history of making moves. Thanking every god and other worldly being he could think of for letting this opportunity fall into his lap, he inhaled deeply before speaking again.  
  “You could come see him real quick if you wanted, my apartment’s about a block away.” Minhyuk tried to sound casual, hoping Sanha couldn’t hear the obvious excitement in his voice. _Please, for the love of god, say yes._ Minhyuk silently prayed. He tapped his foot nervously, waiting for Sanha to reply.  
  “Sure yeah, sounds fun. It’s kind of loud in here anyways.” Sanha stood up, looking to Minhyuk to lead the way out of the coffee shop. Minhyuk was glued to his seat as his brain caught up with the situation at hand, trying to come to terms with the fact that this was actually happening and he wasn’t being screwed over for once.  
  “Okay awesome, yeah.” Minhyuk grabbed his cup and walked out of the coffee shop, holding the door open for Sanha as they left. They walked the short distance to Minhyuk’s apartment silently. Minhyuk was so happy that it was today of all days that Bin #2 had decided to spend the night outside of the apartment. Now Minhyuk and Sanha would have the apartment all to themselves, free to do as they please.  
Once at his door, Minhyuk fumbled with his keys, smiling nervously at Sanha as he opened the door.  
  “Welcome to my gorgeous apartment. Don’t mind the cat, it’s my roommates.” Minhyuk let Sanha in and followed behind him, the cat running into Bin #2’s room at the sight of a stranger.  
  “Is it alright if I look around?” Sanha asked. Minhyuk nodded.  
  “Yeah, of course. Make yourself at home.” Sanha took advantage of the invitation and slipped off his shoes before he walked into the living room, looking through Minhyuk’s CD collection that was neatly organized on a shelf next to the TV. Minhyuk walked over and stood next to Sanha.  
  “Did you want to play something?” Minhyuk asked, gesturing to the CD player next to the couch.  
  “Sure.” Sanha smiled and ran his fingers over the CDs before finally sliding one off the shelf.  
Minhyuk smiled. Sanha had picked one of his favorite CDs in the entire collection. Minhyuk watched as Sanha walked over and inserted the CD into the stereo, and soon a slow, melodic tune began to play. Sanha smiled as the music filled the room. Minhyuk could feel butterflies erupting in his stomach.  
  It just so happened that Minhyuk was feeling very, very bold that night. So bold, in fact, that he walked up to Sanha and asked him to dance. Sanha looked to the ground, suddenly turning shy, but agreed still.  
  Minhyuk led them in what he would hardly consider an actual dance. It was more of just swaying back and forth in circles, but he didn’t care. Minhyuk was busy trying to engrave every part of this moment into his brain. The softness of Sanha’s hand in his, the short, short distance between their bodies that eventually closed, the soft blush that tinted Sanha’s cheeks. Minhyuk’s chin rested on Sanha’s shoulder, and neither of them spoke. Minhyuk smiled as he saw a glimpse of Bin #1 swimming around in his fish bowl through the crack in his bedroom door.  
  “I just remembered you were supposed to be here looking at my goldfish, and we somehow ended up dancing in the middle of my living room.” Minhyuk joked as he spun Sanha around. Sanha laughed, a full, genuine laugh. Up until now Minhyuk hadn’t really tried to make any jokes, and he didn’t think this was any good as far as jokes went. But here he was, watching this boy laugh the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard.  
  Minhyuk didn’t think he was breathing. All he could feel were the butterflies swarming his stomach and the incredibly overwhelming feeling that he was irrevocably in love with this boy. He wanted to tell him a thousand dumb jokes if it meant seeing him smile and laugh again. Sanha tried to regain his composure, covering his face with his hands.  
  “Sorry, sorry. We can keep dancing.” Sanha grabbed Minhyuk’s hand again, and they went back to swaying.  
  “Don’t apologize.” Minhyuk said.  
“For what?”  
“For laughing. You look so beautiful when you’re happy.”  
Sanha’s blush deepened as he smiled and he hid his face in Minhyuk’s shoulder.  
Sanha dropped Minhyuk’s hand and let his arms hang around Minhyuk’s neck. Minhyuk opted for wrapping his arms around Sanha’s waist.  
  Minhyuk could feel Sanha’s heart beating fast, or maybe it was his--either way, everything about that moment felt right. Over Sanha’s shoulder Minhyuk could see the stars in the sky, nighttime having fallen since they first arrived at the coffee shop. Sanha’s breath on his neck sent shivers up his spine as Minhyuk rubbed small circles into Sanha’s back with his thumb.  
  “Minhyuk.” Sanha’s voice was small, almost a whisper into Minhyuk’s shirt.  
“Yes?” Minhyuk was just as quiet now.  
“Why did you come to the pet store almost every day?” Minhyuk paused to think. He was sure Sanha already knew the answer to the question he asked, but he answered anyways.  
“I wanted to see you.”  
“Why?”  
“Because you were the most breathtaking person I had ever met in my life, and I was so willing to do anything to make you like me that I bought a goldfish that I didn’t even want.”  
Sanha laughed, the sound muffled by Minhyuk’s shirt.  
“Do you flirt with everyone by buying a goldfish from them?” Minhyuk laughed.  
“No. Just you. You’re the only one who’s worth it.”  
Minhyuk felt Sanha stiffen. He wondered if he had said something wrong—he didn’t think he had. Maybe everything had been going too well.  
“Minhyuk.”  
“Sanha.”  
“I’m glad you bought the goldfish.” Minhyuk smiled, placing a soft kiss on Sanha’s shoulder.  
“So am I.”


End file.
